(1) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a vehicle body and more particularly to a modular unit for a vehicle body.
For a convertible Vehicle body with or without a permanently integrated partition panel, known from DE 41 00 506 A (U.S. Pat. No. 5,236,219 A), a frame closed on all sides is used for fitting the two roll bars; the roll bars, with their equipment components, are integrated in this frame. This modular unit is mounted to the connection points that are provided in the vehicle body, where the frame can be supported on the partition panel, if a permanently integrated partition panel is provided. The frame and the partition panel require a relatively large amount of room in the vehicle body and result in an unsuitably heavy weight.
(2) Description of Related Art
Two different approaches are known from DE 199 05 578 A. In one case, the two roll bars, with their equipment components, are pre-mounted in housing parts on a common panel. This panel, fitted with the roll bars, is then first welded into the vehicle body of the passenger car convertible as the partition panel. In the second case, the partition panel is a permanently welded-in constituent part of the vehicle body of the passenger car convertible. It is fitted with the two roll bars at a later time. Each roll bar is pre-assembled with a housing part and its equipment components, in one modular unit. Both modular units are attached to the partition panel separately, namely on the side of the partition panel that faces the seat anchors. Separate attachment of the modular units requires a very stable formation of the partition panel, with box section member structures, integrated at the top and bottom, that are space consuming and heavy. The modular units have multiple parts and are heavy. Installing them is costly. They require an undesirable amount of installation space behind the vehicle seats, which are built in later.